Decompressing
by RubberDuckiez
Summary: (Wood Series Oneshot) How does one deal with dying and coming back? In the aftermath of Alan's death and Daisy stepping though the veil after him, the Woods take time to decompress and come to terms with what happened...


**After a suggestion from a reader, I decided to go back and revisit the night Alan and Daisy died. I kind of jumped into the next chapter in the book and didn't really allow for the Woods to try and process everything that happened. Even though Daisy and Alan are back and fine, there's still some residual emotions there in the aftermath.**

 **So this kind of explores that a bit. I feel like we'll still be seeing some of this come in at the beginning of the next book, though not as strongly. Definitely see Oliver pulling out more of his protective dad bit now that he's actually experienced losing Pix. And Wills keeping a closer eye on Daisy as well.**

 **But here it is!**

* * *

Without a word, as soon as they appeared in Wills flat, Daisy marched up the stairs and went straight to the bathroom, started the water and then stripped out of her clothes. She stood in the hot water and just let it run over her body, somewhat easing the soreness from the day.

It had started out like any other day. She got up, ate breakfast, did some chores around the flat. Then headed off to the pitch where she spent a few hours in the gym. Then as she was about to leave someone stunned her and whisked her off to the Ministry where Magnus had tried to make her and her mum go through the veil.

There had been a fight. Alan died.

She had gone through the veil to rescue him, encountering Aunt Tonks and Uncle Remus on the way.

Daisy took a deep, slightly shuttery breath as the tears pricked at her eyes again. Alan was back. She had gone into the veil and brought him back. Everything was supposed to fine and good again. But even though they had all lapsed into light conversation and joking before she left the flat, she couldn't help but think everything was still not fine and okay.

But it would be.

"Pix? You alright in there?" Wills shouted through the door. Daisy's eyes flew open as she looked over, wondering how long she had been in there.

"Yea, I'm fine," she shouted back as she started washing her hair.

"Just checking. It's been awhile. Just wanted to make sure you weren't drowning yourself in the shower or something," he called out. Daisy snorted.

"Only Dad does that after you lot lose," she said, causing Wills to chuckle.

"I'll have some tea ready when you finish," he replied.

After her shower, she walked into the room, wrapped in a towel and made her way to Wills' closet where she kept a drawer of things, dropping her dusty clothes on the floor in the process. She slid into some shorts and an Arrows t-shirt and walked back out to see Wills had left a steaming mug of tea on the nightstand while the shower was going again. She walked over and climbed into the bed and getting settled before she reached over and picked up the tea. She took a deep breath, inhaling the scent of chamomile and silently thanking Merlin that Wills kept a large supply of herbal teas.

She took a sip and then leaned back against the pillows, taking a deep, long breath and just trying to decompress. A lot happened. So much that she wasn't sure if it had all caught up to her yet. She wasn't completely sure how she felt about it all.

"Feel better?" Wills asked as he walked out of the bathroom in a pair of pajama pants, toweling his hair dry. Daisy nodded and smiled slightly, reaching over to put her mug down as he walked over and crawled into bed, dropping the towel on the floor in the process. As soon as he was in, Daisy leaned over and wrapped her arms around him, lying her head on his chest.

She decided what she wanted to focus on at that moment was just the fact that she was alive.

"I'm sorry," she murmured. Wills chuckled softly.

"Pix, it's okay," he said, tightening his arms around her. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm just happy that you're here and I can still do this. Hold you."

"I guess today just made me realize how important these moments are," she said. "We don't know how many more of them we'll get."

"Pix, in case you forgot, you can bring the dead back. Even if the worst happens, we'll still get more of these moments," he quipped. Daisy sat up and frowned at him.

"Don't joke, Wills," she said softly. He smiled and reached up to tuck a curl behind her ear.

"I'm just happy that you came back," he said softly.

"I want to move in," Daisy said suddenly. Wills' eye brows shot up. Truth be told, he had been thinking the same thing, but thought it best to wait before he brought it up. The family had already been through a lot today. He thought it best to wait until things calmed down a bit before they decided. What's more, he wasn't sure he'd survive her father after he found out.

"We have time," Wills said rationally, almost not believing that he was the one suggesting they wait.

"But… we don't know that. I'd feel… after today… I don't want to be apart from you," she said.

"You're father's not going to like that," he replied.

"He'll deal. I just, I want to be with you Wills," she said.

"So… how about we move up those wedding plans?" he suggested with a grin. Daisy smiled and chuckled.

"You do have a death wish," she said.

"You didn't say no," he responded.

"Not yet. I think my dad can only handle so much at a time. We tell him we're moving in together and getting married before I'm 25, I think his head might explode," she replied. Wills thought a moment and nodded slowly.

"Alright. I'll take moving in for now," he said. Daisy grinned and leaned forward, kissing him.

"I love you, Bryan Jacob Wills," she said.

"And I love you, Daisy Nymphadora Wood."

* * *

Iris stood on the porch outside her and Oliver's bedroom, just looking out at the night sky. The family had all left about an hour ago and she had been there ever since, just drinking in the serenity of the night. She needed it to calm the storm whirling inside.

She had almost lost two of her children.

And though she was beyond joyful that they were back, she still couldn't quite push away the intense pain she had felt, starting when Alan had jumped in front of the curse and intensifying when Daisy had ran into the veil. A tear slid down her cheek.

"Red?" Oliver said softly behind her. Iris turned, seeing him standing in the door, the worry etched into his face. She gave a slight smile and turned back to looking out over the pool and the quidditch pitch beyond.

"We almost lost them tonight," she said softly. Oliver walked up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"I know. But we got them back," he said, kissing the side of her head.

"But… what if Daisy had been wrong?" Iris replied. "What if we were having to bury two of our children? What if something like this happens again and Daisy can't- can't-"

"Shh, shh," Oliver murmured as Iris covered her mouth to try and stop the sobs again. "While I have my share of words for Daisy and that little stunt she pulled," he said, his voice strained, "I think it's best we focus on the fact that they are both here for now."

"Don't be too hard on her, Oliver. She was only doing what she thought was right," Iris manage to say.

"Still scared the daylights out of me. I hadn't even wrapped my head around the fact that Alan was gone and then she just ran through the veil without a thought," he said. "My little girl…"

"If you're going to ream her out, best to do the same for Alan. Rushing in to be the hero and all," Iris said, glancing up at her husband. "That was every bit as rash as what Daisy did. Except he didn't know he could come back."

Oliver clenched his jaw, thinking back to that moment when Alan had fallen to the ground, not breathing. Dead. Iris had barely been able to stand, but truth be told, he was clinging to her with just as much desperation. For about 10 agonizing minutes, he thought his son was dead. He had thought back to when he was born - the last of the triplets to appear. In most things, he tended to rush in head first - he and Daisy had that in common a bit. But he was kind, thoughtful. Always looking out for his little sister. They all had, but Alan was typically the one to try and smooth things out whenever the three got into a fight with each other or Daisy. He had always rushed into every relationship he ever had, then rushing out just as quickly.

And he had taken a curse for Daisy and got himself killed. Then Daisy rushed into the veil after him without a second thought.

Oliver felt his heart clench as he saw Daisy fall to the ground outside the veil again. It was like all rational thought had stopped in that moment as he was overwhelmed with such intense grief. His little Pixie had laid on the ground, seemingly dead for another five minutes. The fire in her that he loved but sometimes angered him for the dangerous stunts she pulled - gone.

She hadn't stopped to think about it or talk about it. She had just done it. He was coming around to her dangerous style on the pitch, but this was something completely different. She had willingly and knowingly gone into something, not knowing if she would survive. While part of him had to admit he admired her bravery - that girl was a Gryffindor through and through - he had wanted to yell and scream at her when she came back for being so reckless.

"For once, I wanted to yell at her too," Iris said softly. "For scaring us like that… but even if we had tried to talk her out of it, she would have done it anyway… And… I can't help but be glad that she did." Oliver pulled Iris closer to him.

"Suppose that's what we get for having such stubborn children," he replied. Iris chuckled slightly.

"They get it from both of us," she said. "All of it."

"Dunno, I remember their mother rushing into something without thinking and getting herself pretty hurt and scaring the shite out of me," Oliver said.

"And I remember their father giving me heart attacks nearly every game he played," Iris responded.

"Suppose we're both at fault a bit," he said. Iris nodded and sighed. She turned and faced him.

"Let's get some sleep. It's been a long day and I'm exhausted," she said, looking up at him. Oliver nodded.

"But first thing in the morning, I'm having some words with Daisy," he said. Iris sighed.

"Just… don't be too hard on her," she said.

"I won't, Red."

* * *

Alan sat on the balcony, looking out over the Alley. No one was around, though he could faintly hear music coming from a pub down the street. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, allowing himself to feel everything. The soft breeze. The smell of a summer shower that was likely to come soon. He opened his eyes and looked around, feeling like he was really seeing things for the first time.

Supposed dying and coming back did that to you.

"What are you doing out here? Thought this was Pix's spot?" Jamie said. Alan looked over at him and smiled.

"Beginning to understand why she likes it so much," he said before taking a drink of his beer. Jamie walked over and sat next to him. Alan glanced over at the door and sure enough, Remus strolled out, not wanting to be left out. He leaned against the railing and looked over at Alan.

"So how does it really feel to come back from the dead?" he asked. He was smiling, but Alan could sense there was a hint of sadness behind it.

"I'm just fucking glad to be back," he said. Truth be told, he was still trying to wrap his head around everything. He sensed his brothers were as well. "I know it was a bit stupid of Pix to go rushing in after me, but I'm glad she did."

"I think ultimately we all are," Jamie said before taking a drink of his own beer. "Though Dad's probably going to ream her out for it." Alan chuckled.

"He always was a bit harder on her," he said.

"More like a bit more protective," Remus added. "He's yelled at us plenty for doing stupid shit, but it's always been a bit different with Pix."

"I can understand," Jamie said. "Even though I can see into her head and I can see that she knows what she's doing, it still gets to me. I still freak out whenever she does something a bit mad."

"Suppose that's just life when you're an older brother to someone like Pix," Remus said with a sigh. He looked back over at Alan, who was still staring out at the street.

"It's going to get worse, isn't it?" Alan finally said. Remus and Jamie looked at him confused. "She's going to get stronger and do more things that are going to make us go mad with worry… And we can't protect her."

"You protected her tonight," Remus said.

"And got yourself killed," Jamie added.

"But what was I supposed to do? Just stand there?" Alan asked. "I mean, I know that she should have been able to protect herself - in my head I knew - but… I just couldn't stand there on the chance that it wouldn't work."

"I was trying to raise a shield as well," Jamie said. Alan looked over at him.

"I was about to jump before you did," Remus added. Alan chuckled softly.

"So we were all out to protect, Pix. I just got there first," he said.

"You were always the one to rush into things," Jamie commented.

"I just… I didn't want her to get hurt, you know?" Alan said softly.

"And in the process you got yourself killed," Jamie said again. Alan glanced over at his brothers, both now quiet with serious looks on their faces.

"Now we know how Uncle George felt," Remus said.

"I'm sorry, but even you two admitted you wanted to do the same thing," Alan said.

"But you're our triplet," Remus said, pushing off from the railing. "Even before all this connection stuff, we were connected. Do you know what it was like when you died? It was like… something was missing. A limb." Alan studied him a bit and then looked over to Jamie.

"It wasn't easy," he admitted.

"I know," Alan said softly. His brothers went silent, staring at him. "I could see you, you know. Through the veil. We can always see it… right after…"

* * *

 _Alan opened his eyes and looked around, unsure of where he was. It looked like the room he was just in, but it was darker. Emptier. All around him were whispers and murmurs._

" _ALAN!"_

 _He spun around, seeing the veil. On the other side was his family. Daisy was on the ground, banging her fists against his chest as his mother wailed and Wills rushed to her side. Remus and Jamie just stood there, unable to speak. He could sense their pain from where he stood._

" _So I'm dead, then," he said, not sure who he was talking to._

" _It would appear so," a voice said from behind him. Alan turned, seeing two figures step out from the mist and shadows. He recognized them immediately as his aunt and uncle - Tonks and Remus._

" _Blimey… it's you," he said, his eyes going wide. They looked at him a moment before Tonks seemed to realize who he was._

" _You're… you're Iris and Oliver's son, aren't you?" she asked. He nodded._

" _Alan," he replied. A sad smile graced her face as she walked over and hugged him._

" _I can't imagine what Iris must be feeling right now," she murmured. Alan looked over at Remus, who seemed to have an equally sad smile on his face._

" _I just wanted to protect Pix," he said. Remus nodded slowly._

" _And it was a noble thing to do," he said. Tonks stepped back and looked up at him._

" _The others will want to see you," she said._

" _The others?" he asked, confused._

" _Yea. We're all here together. At least we have that," she said, guiding him away from the veil. Alan looked back over his shoulder, not wanting to leave._

" _It's best to let it be," Remus said. "You'll get stuck staring through it all the time if you dally."_

" _But… I don't want to leave them just yet," Alan said._

" _You already have," Tonks said softly. Alan looked down at her as she offered a small smile. "But it's not so bad, being over here. We watch over them, you know. When we can. There's nothing really we can do, but we can still see them." Alan nodded and looked forward, seeing more figures appearing from the shadows. His eyes widened as he saw a young woman walk forward who looked almost exactly like the old photos of his mother._

" _Alan?" she asked. She ran forward and wrapped her arms around him. "What in Merlin's name are you doing here?" A man walked up next and stood just behind her. Alan blinked, thinking at first he was seeing his cousin Harry._

" _Aunt Lily? Uncle James?" he asked. Lily stepped back and smiled up at him, tears swimming in her eyes._

" _I had hoped we'd never see one of you here this soon," she said._

" _But… how do you know it's me?" he asked._

" _We were always watching, Alan. Everything. Harry, Iris, you and all your siblings and cousins," she said, touching his cheek. "We know all about you."_

" _We're right proud of you," James added. "Winning Beater of the Year and all. And of James. My grandson… rookie of the year." Alan found himself smiling slightly._

" _Don't forget Daisy," Lily said, looking back at him. "She got rookie of the year and MVP."_

" _Well, we can't really take any credit for that. That was likely all Oliver," James said._

" _Move out of the way! Let me see my nephew!" another voice shouted. Alan looked over as a grinning redhead ran over. "Blimey, you lot are taller in person. Reckon you're even taller than Woodsie."_

" _Woodsie?" Alan asked, confused._

" _Ah yea, little nickname my brother and I gave your dad in school," he said. "Fred Weasley." Alan blinked, not quite believing he was meeting everyone. All the others who had died before he was born and forever frozen at the same age. Fred, Lily and James all looked younger than Alan. Remus and Tonks were the only ones who looked older, but he knew it was only by a couple years with Tonks._

" _Suppose you'll be wanting to meet the rest," Fred said, drawing Alan's attention._

" _There's more?" he asked._

" _Yea. We're all here. Your grandparents. Sirius. Tons of ancestors and such," Fred replied lightly. Alan just blinked, feeling slightly overwhelmed. But something drew him back to the veil. He turned and looked, hearing Daisy's voice._

" _I just… I want them to know I'm okay," Alan said, turning and taking a step for it. The veil appeared as he walked closer. He could see Daisy beside him. "I'm… I'm okay, Daisy!" he shouted. She stopped looking at her wrist and up towards the veil. Almost as if she could hear him. "I'm with everyone! So… stop blubberin'." A faint smile came over her, but then something else was in her eyes._

" _Alan, come on," Lily said softly, stepping up to his side. "It's best not to linger… They can't really hear us."_

" _Blimey, Teddy's looking older," Tonks said, stepping up to their side. She smiled warmly. "I wish I could have been there to see him grow up."_

" _Come on, you two," Lily said, pulling them back into the shadows._

* * *

"You saw them? All of them?" Remus asked. Alan nodded. "Are you going to tell Mum and Dad? They'll want to know about Aunt Lily, Uncle James and Uncle Fred." Alan took a deep breath and looked up at his brothers.

"Yea, but… not now," he said. "It was a bit weird, really. They were all younger than me."

"Suppose it makes sense. They were younger than us when they died. Except Tonks and Remus," Jamie said rationally.

"But… for a minute, it wasn't so bad, being dead. They're all there together. Looking out and watching," Alan said, glancing up at the sky. "Suppose they might be watching now." Remus and Jamie looked up at the sky as well. "Even if Pix hadn't come after me… I suppose I would have be alright eventually."

"We wouldn't have, though," Remus said. Alan looked at him and sighed.

"I know," he said softly.

"Thank Merlin Pix found her gift," Jamie said. Alan nodded.

"I am sorry about what you went through," he said, looking between his brothers.

"Just don't do it again," Remus said. Alan smiled and chuckled.

"Trust me… it wasn't bad, but I don't care to be dead again," he said. He then stood and started walking inside.

"Where are you going?" Remus asked.

"Need to send an owl," Alan said, not bothering to look back.

* * *

" _Daisy? Are you there?"_

Daisy twitched slightly, barely registering the voice in her head as she rolled over and snuggled deeper into the covers. Wills snaked an arm around her, pulling her closer in his sleep. He had barely let go of her since the night before.

" _DAISY NYMPHADORA WOOD! ANSWER ME!"_

Daisy's eyes shot open as she realized it wasn't a dream. Her mother was actually in her head.

" _Mum… I'm trying to sleep… don't you think I've earned the right to have a lie-in?"_ she sent back, slightly irritated. She glanced over at a clock, noting it was about 8 a.m.

" _I'd of waited, but your father is insisting we talk,"_ Iris sent back. Daisy huffed slightly. Didn't they talk enough last night?

"Whatisit?" Wills murmured, her movement and huffing slightly waking him, though his eyes were still closed.

"Mum and Dad," Daisy groaned.

"What they want?" he asked, seeming completely unfazed by the fact his girlfriend was having a mental conversation with her parents.

"To talk," she replied.

"DAISY NYMPHADORA WOOD!" a voice sounded from downstairs. Daisy shot up in bed, gripping the comforter to her chest. She hadn't expected her parents to show up there. Now. While she was still in bed with Wills.

"WOULD YOU HOLD ON A MOMENT! AND STAY IN THE KITCHEN!" Daisy shouted back, looking towards the balcony that separated Wills' bedroom from the rest of the flat.

"FIVE MINUTES!" her father shouted back.

Daisy's face turned bright red as Wills' eyes flew open upon the realization that his coach was now standing downstairs. In his flat. While he was naked in bed with his daughter. If this didn't get him killed, he didn't know what would.

"Fuck," he said softly.

"Get dressed," Daisy whispered viciously as she threw off the comforter and started reaching around for clothing - any clothing. She tossed a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt towards Wills while desperately looking around for her own. Sensing they were running out of time, she bounded into Wills' closet and re-emerged wearing one of his old Slytherin hoodies and a pair of her shorts. Her hair was going every which way, but there was no time to worry about it as she started towards the stairs, Wills following as he sleepily pulled on the t-shirt.

"Morning, Coach!" he said brightly as he saw Oliver and Iris standing in the entryway. Oliver's face had gone red while Iris was looking around the flat approvingly.

"Couldn't you have waited until a decent hour?" Daisy asked, glaring at her father. "And why are you here?"

"Because we're going to talk about that stunt you pulled yesterday and we're gonna do it now," her father said. Apparently after the relief of finding out that Daisy could, in fact, bring the dead back, he was now settling into angry territory and ready to ream her out. Daisy rolled her eyes and planted her hands on her hips. Or as best she could. The hoodie was obviously too big for her and the sleeves had fallen over her hands.

"I don't really understand what's left to talk about," she said. "I'm back. Alan's back. It's all good."

"It most certainly is not!" her father shouted. "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!"

"I WAS THINKING THAT I'D BRING MY DEAD BROTHER BACK!" Daisy shouted. "AND IT'S MY BLOODY GIFT!"

"BUT WE DIDN'T KNOW THAT BEFORE YOU WENT RUNNING IN THERE, DID WE?! FOR ONCE IN YOUR LIFE WILL YOU BLOODY THINK BEFORE YOU DO SOMETHING!?" Oliver shouted back. "AND WHY ARE YOU WEARING A GODDAMN SLYTHERIN HOODIE?!"

"DARLING!" Iris shouted, getting both Daisy and Oliver's attention. "Perhaps we should sit and have a… much calmer version of this conversation." The two glared at each other before Daisy huffed and walked over to the armchair and sitting, crossing her arms in front of her.

"I'll, ah, well, I'll get some tea, then," Wills said, walking into the kitchen as Iris and Oliver walked over and sat on the sofa.

"Traitor," Daisy muttered towards him, before she narrowed her eyes at her father. Wills watched cautiously as he put the kettle on, thankful for a couple minutes of respite before he faced Oliver. He was in a mood, that's for sure. Wills has glad that it wasn't on the pitch or else he'd fear for his life from the onslaught of the bludgers coming his way.

"You want to talk? Talk," Daisy said. Oliver took a deep breath and was about to start yelling again, before Iris put a hand on his arm, stopping him.

"I think what your father is trying to say is… you scared us yesterday, Daisy," she said, looking at her seriously. Daisy took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"Did you have the same talk with Alan?" she asked. "Because I clearly remember him doing something foolhardy as well."

"That was different-"

"No, it wasn't," Daisy said, her voice raising slightly. "He knew that I could protect myself! And he still jumped in front of that damn curse!"

The apartment was silent a few moments, the only sound that of the kettle and Wills gathering cups and such in the kitchen.

"What was I supposed to do?" Daisy asked. "Just… let him die?" Oliver took a long, haggard breath, rubbing his face. "Is that what you wanted me to do? Stay safe and let him die?" she said, this time raising her voice slightly.

"We thought you were gone!" her father shouted, starting to lose his temper again. "You never listen! You never think! Always jumping feet first into something dangerous!"

"And it's always worked out!" Daisy shouted back.

"But it might not have!" her father shouted back. "This time we could have lost you for good! Christ, we had just lost Alan! Have you ever stopped to think about that?! Every time you pull off one of your crazy stunts, it could be the last time!"

"And when are you going to trust that I know what I'm doing!" Daisy shouted back.

"Maybe when you stop being so reckless!" Oliver shouted.

"I am NOT reckless!"

"BUT YOU ALMOST DIED!"

"ACCORDING TO YOU I'M ALWAY ALMOST DYING!"

"JUST STOP IT!" Wills shouted, stunning both into silence. Daisy whipped her head around to face him, seeing him holding a tray, his hands shaking. He walked over and sat it down then backed up and looked at Daisy, several different emotions seeming to be fighting for control across his face. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her father watching him, a bit stunned to hear the chaser raise his voice against Daisy.

"Pix, you know I support all that you do on the pitch, but this… this time it wasn't doing a flip or flying off your broom. You ran into the veil not knowing if you'd come back. And for five goddamn minutes, we all thought you were dead," he said seriously. Daisy blinked slightly and then looked down at her hands in her lap. The memories of what she saw through the veil flooding back.

Wills screaming at her body, the pain evident in his face. Her mother wailing uncontrollably. Her father, stunned and hurting. Her brothers not sure what to do. Truth be told, she had tried to put the thought out of her head, unable to face what it had done to them. As long as she and Alan were back, it didn't matter, right?

"Again… what was I supposed to do?" she asked softly, unable to look at any of them. "If I hadn't gone through… Alan would still be gone…"

Again, silence filled the flat. No one would answer. Of course. They didn't want her doing reckless things, but her reckless things had brought Alan back. It won games and made for good quidditch.

Daisy closed her eyes, taking deep breaths and willing herself to stay calm. She then opened them and looked up at her father and nearly stopped breathing. The anguish was too ripe.

"Daisy… we thought we lost you," he said softly, unable to look at her. "And… I…"

"Promise us that you won't be that reckless again," Wills said. Oliver and Iris looked over at him in surprise, as did Daisy. She blinked as she watched him walk over to her, bending down so that he was eye level. "Just… you said when Alan died, you never hurt that bad before. That you never want to feel that way again. We felt the same exact thing when you walked through that veil and fell to the ground."

Daisy couldn't help herself, she closed her eyes and looked into his head…

* * *

" _Daisy, don't!" Teddy shouted as he reached out for her._

 _But it was too late. It was like she had hit a wall. Her body stopped and fell to the ground with a soft thud but a wisp of something seemed to leave it and pass through the veil._

" _DAISY!" Wills shouted as he ran up to her, pushing Teddy out of the way. He fell to the ground and reached out to gently touch her face, check for a pulse. Her bright green eyes were open and dull. He pressed his fingers against her throat. Nothing. Her chest was still. "DAISY GET THE FUCK BACK HERE!" he shouted as he picked her up and shook her._

 _It was as if everything came crashing down at once. There was no way she could be gone._

" _You have to come back," Wills said, a bit softer this time, his voice breaking. He looked up at Teddy frantically and then over at Christos and Nikos. "She's coming back, right? This is her gift. She's not dead. She can't be dead."_

 _The old man took a deep breath and slowly shook his head._

" _I do not know," he said softly._

" _But… her mark… it was glowing… That has to mean something, right?" Christos said, tearing his eyes away from Daisy's body. "It wouldn't do that for no reason."_

" _Goddamn it, Daisy! Of all the stupid things for you to do!" Wills shouted, looking back down at her body cradled in his arms. "Why would you do this?" He could hear Iris sobbing, unable to speak and barely able to breathe somewhere behind him. "I didn't get to propose yet… You still have the World Cup… you're supposed to move in..."_

" _She's gone, Wills," a voice, soft and sounding absolutely broken said from behind him. Wills stopped talking and looked over at Oliver - not even recognizing that it was him speaking. He was still holding Iris in his arms. Her face was buried in his chest, but his eyes were fixed on Daisy, the color drained from his face. It was as though he aged 20 years in a matter of minutes._

" _GODDAMN YOU DAISY!" Remus exploded from behind them. Wills looked over, seeing the tall man wringing his hands through his curly hair. He started towards them. "WHY COULDN'T YOU FOR ONCE NOT DO SOMETHING DANGEROUS!" He then looked back at Alan. "AND YOU! TRYING TO PLAY THE FUCKING HERO!"_

 _Jamie grabbed him and pulled his brother into a fierce hug, unable to say anything as Remus began to sob. Wills looked back at Daisy and held her against him as he started rocking, his emotions spinning out of control. He was crying, but part of him wanted to throttle her._

" _Why would you do this?" he murmured over and over, even though everyone there knew why. Because she was Daisy. And she loved her family fiercely. If it took getting herself killed to try and save one, she would do it. A deep, guttural sob broke out from Wills' lips._

" _Daisy, you fucking idiot!" he shouted. Suddenly there was a sharp intake of breath._

" _Christ, do you have to yell?" he heard a soft, familiar voice. Immediately Wills shut up and stared down at her, seeing those bright green eyes peering up at him in confusion. "You really should wipe your nose."_

 _Wills swallowed hard, still not believing his eyes or ears as he pulled her close to him again, not caring if he was crushing her. He couldn't speak as now 20 different emotions assaulted him at once. There was relief and joy - which seemed to be winning - but at the same time anger that she would scare all of them like that._

 _She was back._

* * *

Daisy stared at Wills, tears pouring down her cheeks.

"But you have to understand," she said softly. "I had to go."

"We know," Oliver croaked. Daisy and Wills looked over at him. "Thank Merlin we found your gift…"

"But would it kill you to stop and think about some things before you do them?" Wills added, sensing Oliver was struggling with his words a bit. "At least give us a heads up." Oliver looked over at him in surprise, not expecting the chaser to be so rational. Or that he would actually agree with him on something regarding Daisy.

Daisy stared at him a moment and then looked over at her parents, her brow furrowed. She finally nodded.

"I'll try to be more careful," she said. "But you need to understand that I don't just rush into things without a thought. I knew I could do it."

"We'll try to have a bit more faith in you, but… let's wait until we get to the island before we try anything more regarding your gift," Iris said calmly.

"Wasn't planning to. That place gives me the creeps," she said, shuddering slightly. Wills smiled at her and stood, walking over to the table.

"Now that that's out of the way, tea?" he asked brightly, looking at Iris and Oliver. He handed them two mugs and then walked back over, handing Daisy a mug full of coffee as he sat on the arm of her chair. Oliver cleared his throat and studied the couple a bit.

"Now, would you mind telling me just what my daughter is doing in a Slytherin shirt…"

* * *

"Christ! And you ran downstairs in Wills' Slytherin hoodie? I wish I could have seen the look on Dad's face," Alan shouted as he laughed later on that night. After a long, slightly uncomfortable chat with her parents - in which both she and Wills had chickened out on telling them she was moving in - she had gone home to clean up and spend time with her brothers sans Wills. After seeing his memory of what happened, she felt like she need to talk to them.

"Not like they gave us much warning," Daisy grumbled.

"As if Dad needed anymore reasons to dislike Wills. He got his little Gryffindor princess to wear a Slytherin shirt," Remus said from where he sat on the sofa next to Daisy. "Imagine what he'll do if your kids end up in Slytherin." She smiled slightly as she looked at him, her eyes then moving over to Jamie who was chuckling, then going back to Alan.

"But that's not really what I want to talk about," she said, turning serious.

"What is it, Pix?" Remus asked. Daisy took a deep breath and slowly let it out.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?" Alan asked.

"For… making you lot think I was dead," she said, looking over at Remus and Jamie. "I mean, I did think about it before I ran in through the veil, but… I didn't think about what would happen if I failed. And I didn't realize how it would affect you all when I did it."

The three brothers were silent a few moments.

"Well, I don't think any of us could have predicted what would happen. Even if we all knew for sure you could do it… We wouldn't have been ready for… well…" Jamie started.

"My falling to the ground seemingly dead," Daisy finished.

"Could have done without that bit," Remus admitted. Daisy looked over at him and reached out grabbing his hand.

"I saw Wills' memory of what happened," she said softly. Remus took a deep breath and looking at his lap.

"You saw that, did you?" he asked.

"You did pretty much react the same way I did when Alan died," she said. "Though I did actually try to beat the shite out of him."

"Not much further damage you could do… seeing as I was already dead," Alan replied. "You tried to beat the shite out of me in the veil as well."

"For good reason. You knew I could have protected myself, Alan," Daisy said. Alan studied her a moment and sighed.

"I just… with all your fancy new tricks and such… you're still my little sister, Pix. I'm still going to try and protect you in anyway that I can. All of us," he said softly. Daisy looked around the room, noticing the identical looks of determination on Jamie and Remus' faces.

"What if… we had a truce? I'll try to be safer if you all promise not to get yourselves killed playing heroes for me?" she said. Immediately Remus and Alan burst out into loud laughter as Jamie smiled.

"Come on, Pix. We all know that you and safe are two things that will never be in the same sentence," Remus said. Daisy scowled.

"But I could try," she said.

"But then you wouldn't be Pix," Alan said. Daisy huffed and rolled her eyes.

"Blimey, what am I supposed to do? Mum, Dad and Wills all made me promise to be more careful this morning and now you lot are telling me to continue being reckless," she said.

"Not reckless… just… don't do something like you did at the ministry again," Jamie said. "You can be more careful but still be the fiery, slightly rash Pix that we all know and love."

"As long as you don't get yourself killed… again," Remus added.

"Does it technically count as dying?" Daisy mused.

"You had no heartbeat, Pix. You died," Jamie said flatly.

"So… does this mean I'm immortal, you think?" Daisy asked.

"No. I think it just means you can go back and forth through the veil," Jamie said quickly. "Don't get any ideas, Pix. You just promised to be more careful."

"I wasn't about to try and off myself to test it," she said, scoffing slightly. "'Sides I already promised Mum I wouldn't do anymore experimenting until we got back to the island."

"Good," Jamie said firmly. The four fell into silence. Daisy glanced over at Alan. While he seemed in good spirits, she could sense that he was feeling slightly guilty for worrying the family. Remus was relieved that they weren't planning a double funeral. And Jamie… he was thinking about going back to the island and just what Daisy would have to do to fully develop her gift. She looked down at her hand still gripping Remus'. They were all here. It would be okay, she kept telling herself.

"So… just how red was Dad's face…"


End file.
